Breast pad and machine for making same



June 23, 195 9 v ,M. D. LONDON 2,891,544

BREAST PAD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING SAME.

Filed Oct. 7, 1955 I 5 She ets-Sheet 1 Mmwrme: MELV/IV D. LQNDO/V 37,4444 .zflzt, Mi/m 7 firmmmys.

June 23, 1959 M. D. LONDON 2,891,544

BREAST PAD AND MACHINE. FOR MAKING SAME Filed Oct. 7, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lumen wk:

lVfLV/A/ 1240/1/00 June 23, 1959 M. D. LONDON BREAST PAD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING SAME 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 7, 1955 n rfiu )7 72'0 1? Me rs,

June 23, 1959 M. D LONDON 2,891,544

' BREAST PAD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING SAME Filed Oct. '7, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 MELV/A/ D. LONDO/V lzvnewroz June 23, 1959 M. D. LONDON 2,891,544

' BREAST PAD AND MACHINE FOR MAKING SAME 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. '7, 1955 fi D Mnwrme MELV/A/ 0. LONDON "*M' W y Unitcd States Patent 2,891,544 BREAST PAl) 'N'D: MACHINE *FoR' MAKING SAME Melvin D. London, Brentwoodg Mm," assign'or-"to "The Absorbent Cbtton Company; St. Louis County, Ma, a

corporation of Missouri A aranth caster-1, mesa-a1 559m mums. cine-zany The'pres'ent'invention relates generally to breast pads and to the machine'formaking' the breast pads, and more particularly to a novel breast pad and the machine for*'making--the 'same' pads are ot' be worn by' nursing mothers and others fonabsorbing milk ofoth'er body moisture that may leak from the breasts and'which'pads are cool and comfortable to 'we'anbeneath' a br'assiere' or other garment;

It isjan object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a novel"breast'pad constructedso that thewear ers garments are at all times protected from unsightly moisture. Y

-Another object is'to provide anabsorbentbreas't pad that is soft'and'will'adjustto the contour of the wearers breast for greater comfort and added support;

.An'other object is to providei-anabsorb'ent breastpa'd having channels to prevent' moisture accumulation in any one local :area."

Another object is'to'provide an inexpensive absorbent breast pad that is readily"adaptableto mass production techniques;

Another object of'thehpresent inventionis toprovide a disposable absorbent breast pad'thatis inexpensive to make and may be comfortablyworn by women with a view to' enhancing the wearers appearance.

A further object of the present-invention is the provision of a no'v'el machine formassproducing absorbent breast pads; 4

A still further object'of the"pres'erit invention is to provide afully automatic machine for making absorbent padswhich "can "be set up and operated by. unskilled personnel' with a minimum of operator attention.

. Yet' another object of the present invention is to provide 'a' relatively inexpensive machine for making absorbent pads'that operates continuouslveven when new raw materials are being introduced into it;

The invention comprises a layered type of pad having inner absorbentandouter non-absorbent layers'in'which thecharacteristic features include the provision of' a plurality (one or more) of moisture channelsor runs radiat in'g froma'coniino'n rrecessfi'and a peripheral binding flange for holding the layers in position nad resisting m'oi'sture passage; f g

The invention also comprises a machine for producing absorbent pads of'the character describedi Other objects and advantages of the presentinv'e'ntion will become apparent'hereina'fter in'the description','and

in the drawings which form apart of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig; l is .a'persp ec'tive' fragmentaryvie'w'of-the layered material from which absorbent breast padsare pro duced,

Fig-'2 is a top vie'w'of an absorbent breast pad eon struct'ed according to the teachings of the present invention,

Fig. 3-is'a'bottom'view of the breast'pad of 'Figl 2,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the" breast pad of Fig'. 2,'

.Fig. 5 is afcrossasectionalelevationalviewtalcen along" theline 5-5 of Fig. 2,

ice

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a machine" forpro'ducing' the breast pads,

Fig. 7 is a view from above taken along line 7--7 of Fig. 6,

Fig; 8 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in"se'c tionglof the feed portion of the machine for producing breast padstaken along line 88of Fig. 7, I

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the feedpor'tioii taken'along the line 9-9 of Fig 7,

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of' the same feed portion taken along the line 10-10 of Fig.7, a Fig. 11 is an elevational view, partly in section, of'tlfe punch station of the'machine taken along the 1in'e"'11'-11 of Fig. 7,

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view'of the' die portion'ofth' punchstation of'the'ma'chine showing 'the' members in disengaged position,

Fig. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of'the' die portion ofthe same machine taken along the line 13- 13 of Fig. 12,

Fig. l4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 13 showing the die portion in the "closed position} Fig 15 is a still further enlarged cross sectionalview of the die portion in the closed'position taken 'alon'g 'li ri lS IS of Fig. 14, p

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of the male dieportion, and

Figfll7 is 'a viewfrorn below of the female die"po'r"tion.

Referring to the figures by reference numerals, the" nurfriber 2i! refers to an absorbent pad constructed' ac cording to the teachings" of the present invention; Viewed from the top and bottom surfaces of thepad'ltl (Figs. 2 and 3), the pad 20 has a circular appearance with a soft cushion-like body 21 circurris'cribe'c l by a relatively narrow band or flange 22".

Fig. 1 shows a fragment of layered material of'thj type from which the pads 29 are formed. Theunfinishetl layer of material is shownto better illustrate'the arrange; mieiit'of the materials the pad. An iniier layer 23 of non-woven absorbent fibers such as' cotton fibers forriis the breast engaging side of the pad Zil. Ad j acent the layer 23-isa relatively thick layer consisting 'of anab sorbent filler 24 which is the principal moisture abshrb ing"'layer. Outside of the absorbent filler layer24 is a of the same machine layer of moisture lmpervious material 25 such as'cellil lose or'a rubber base substance; ln'the embqdimnror the invention shown, the impervious layer ZS in'c'lu defsi three sheets or'thin layers (marked a, b and c) of cellil lose material to improve the moisture 'pr'ooiiiig. Cover ing' 'the impervious layer 2-5 and forming'thejoutroi" exposed surface of the pad 20 is another layerof nan-i woven absorbent fabric 2a which similar to'the 'sliinj engaging layer 23 and which is normally insurface-to surface engagement with the wearers garmentsuchafa bras'siere. I V

To the left in Fig. l is a phantor'njoutline' sho-winga circular area in the layered material from which a breast pad Zilcan be removed and formed. The machinery for r m v n d a 'mi s't a l b af m Pfit Wa of this specification and will'be considered hefeinafter. Figs. 2, 3, 4 and} show in detail'seve ral views'orcompleted pad constructed according to the present vention. The pad 20' has-an 'ove rall'cup shape w 1h concave inner surface and a convex outersurfacei Fi' shows a cross-sectional view of thepadillus'tratin g relationship of the inner andthe outer contours" and als showing the positional relationship ofthe Inaterial"' Th outer or exposed convert surface, including thebo tion 21 and the band 22, resembles a rounded do ing a centralp r ojecting poit'ion 27, The 'cd surface is less regular than the enter-surface andinclfides a sonundulating 'or wavybedy' orrion 'zsithat easiesbetween the outer band 22 and a central nipple depression 29. The soft undulating breast engaging portion 28 has a pillow-like character in that it readily conforms to the shape of an object such as a womans breast brought in contact therewith and is formed in a regular pattern defined between channels 32) that extend radially between the nipple depression 29 and the band 22 and have as their primary function the dispersement of the lacteal or breast fluid to all portions of the absorbent undulating surfaces 23. In addition to providing means for even fluid distribution, the channels 36 also assist in maintaining the soft nndulatory character of the inner surface of the pad 29 and permit the pad to more easily assume a shape that conforms to the breast contour of the wearer. It is anticipated, however, that the channels 30 could be made in difierent shapes without departing from their intended use in the pads 21).

The pads 20 as described are constructed of inexpensive materials, are lightweight, and are both cool and comfortable to wear. Because of their large moisture absorbent capacity, pads 24) may be worn for long intervals by nursing mothers and others without any noticeable discomfort, and since the pads are so inexpensive they may be discarded when they begin to saturate without appreciable loss. The shape of the pads 20 make them particularly adaptable for wearing under a brassiere or any suitable garment without danger of unsightly stains. The impervious layer 25 which covers the absorbent portion 24 of the pad 26 is preferably made of three thin layers and protect the wearers garments from possible seepage and unsightly stains.

The pads 20 have also been used to provide comfortable yet efiective means for supporting the breasts on women other than those who are nursing. This has been found to be true because they are soft, able to readily conform to varying shapes, and because of the support they alford to the wearer.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the member 34 refers generally to a machine for producing the inventive absorbent pads 20. The machine 34 includes a materials feed 36 for combining the several raw materials that go into the pad and for guiding the resulting combination, a punch press 38 including die members for stamping out and forming the pads 20, a shredder (not shown) for grinding up the unused portion of the raw materials, and a conveyor system 40 (Fig. 11) for carrying the finished pads 20 away from the punch press 38.

The materials feed 36 is best illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. The feed includes a bed 42 with four regular positions (numbered 44, 46, 48 and 50) for locating rolls or bolts of material and two temporary or auxiliary positions (66 and 68) for temporarily locating bolts that are about to run out so that the machine can be operated while fresh materials are being added. The two auxiliary positions (66 and 68) are located in close proximity to the regular positions that handle the absorbent material 24 and the impervious material 25 because these materials being bulkier are exhausted more frequently. The regular bolt positions 44 and 50 handle the thin layers 23 and 26 of non-woven material which form the inner and outer exposed walls of the finished pads 20, and the positions 46 and 48 handle the absorbent material 24 and the impervious material 25 respectively.

Each of the regular positions has two upright members 52 and 54 (Figs. 6 and 7) which are attached by suit able means to the walls 56 of the bed 42. The upright members 52 and 54, which are shown as channels, are provided with slots 58 extending down from the upper ends thereof. The raw materials, which are wound into bolts on spools 59, are supported for rotation on shafts 60 which extend through bores (not shown) in the spools 59 and are positioned with their ends projecting through the slots 58. The shafts 60 at positions 44 and 50 are supported on rollers 62 journaled to the upright members 52 and 54. The rollers 62 extend part way across the slots 53 (Fig. 6) and provide freer rotation at the end positions 44 and 50 because the bolts may be heavier at these positions and might otherwise produce excessive drag.

The central positions 46 and 48, which become exhausted more often, have their shafts 60 supported in the slots 58 on cross members 64, and are provided with the auxiliary positions 66 and 68 respectively. The positions 66 and 68 are similar in construction to positions 46 and 48, but are shorter beccause they handle only bolts that are nearly exhausted.

When the operator observes that the bolt at position 46 or 48 is about to run out, he lifts the shaft 60 for that position out of the notches 58 and places it in the auxiliary position corresponding thereto. The operator then places a fresh bolt in the now empty regular position and follows the trailing edge of the exhausted bolt with the leading edge of the fresh bolt into the feed 36. In this manner practically all stopping of the machine 34 is eliminated.

It has been found unnecessary to prevent backlash caused by the bolts overshooting as they unwind, although it is contemplated that overshooting could be eliminated easily with a friction device if desired. Overshooting normally only occurs at the regular positions 44 and 50 where the rollers 62 are provided, and, therefore it is desirable to provide guide rolls 70 (Fig. 7) for these positions.

The bed 42 guides the materials from the bolts as they feed to the punch press 38 (Fig. 8). The non-woven material 23, being fed from the position 44, passes around and beneath the guide roll 70 from whence it extends to the right in a lower channel shaped member 72. To the right of the channel member 72 the material 23 passes through a loop of wire 74 which serves as a guide and static eliminator and then extends further to the right between two vertically aligned feed rolls 76 and 78.

The absorbent material 24 at position 46 and the impervious material 25 at position 48 feed into an upper channel member 80 (Fig. 8) positioned over the channel member 72 and extend to the right through the wire loop 74 and between the feed rolls 76 and 78. The material 26 at the position 50 feeds down beneath the guide roll 70, and to the right through the wire loop 74, and further to the right between the feed rolls 76 and 78. The materials 23, 24, 25 and 26 are all in vertical alignment in the bed 42 as they pass between the feed rolls 76 and 78. The narrow spacing of the rolls 76 and 78 presses all of the materials together into a single compact layer 82 (Fig. 8). It is now readily apparent that the layer 32 has the materials arranged therein so that breast engaging side of the pad 20 is formed from the bottom and the side worn next to the wearers brassiere is on top.

After passing between feed rolls 76 and 78 the layer 32 extends to the right between upper and lower cooperating punch die members indicated generally by the numbers 84 and 86 respectively (Figs. 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17).

To the right of the cooperating die members 84 and 86 is another set of vertically spaced feed rolls 83 and (Figs. 7 and 12). The layer 82 after having pads 20 stamped therefrom passes between the feed rolls 88 and 90 and from there is fed into a shredder (not shown) which chops up the unused materials so that they may be easily reprocessed. The lower feed rolls 78 and 90 are provided with shaft extensions (Figs. 7 and ll) that carry bevel gears 92 and 94 respectively. The bevel gears 92 and 94 are meshed at right angles with bevel gears 96 and 98 which are mounted on a common shaft 160. The shaft 1% is rotatably mounted on a frame member 102 of the punch press 38 and intermediate its ends fixedly carries a driven gear 104. The driven gear 104 is meshed with a larger drive gear 106 which is carried on a shaft 108 that is rotatably mounted to the frame member 102. The shaft 108 extends to the left asset-ea (Figs; and 7) whefe ifis'fiiredly connected to a aha-@7110 that has a one wayrat her mechanis 112 which is'jonly genera' lly indicatedi The'crank 110 is pivotal lyffconn'ectedat i ""uppefehd' to a connecting rod"114 "ch haits'uppefiendKFigs. 6: and 11) rotatably co'nnectd'to 'an" eccentricfldrive; mechanism which is indicated byfth'e um er" 1161 'The eccentric drive mechanism 116""is attached 'to' the'left end of a pulleyshaft 118 (Fig. 6) fwhi'chjhasapulley when-120 'at its right ene. The pnlle'yishaft118is'johrnaled tov the frame of the punch pi ssia 8fwhi'cfhfis provided with'a conventional reciprocating"pu'nch drive mechanism 122mm moves the"uppe'r die"men1berf84 up and down'tostamp out and form the absorbent breast pads '20," s p V lih'eratchet mechanism '112'Qis coh's'tructedso' that it rotates' the1owerfeedro1lsf78 and 90' in a' clockwise direction(Figs." 6 an'd112) duringone halt of each cycle of "the" eccentric mechanism 116"a11d" during the balance of the cycle restores itself in th'e'revers'efdirection without any drivingf'forceonthe feed rolls. While'the feed rolls 76;"78," 88 and"90are rotating; the'punch drive mechani's'r'n122maintains the upperdie members 84 separated fromthelow'er die members $6'so that 'the'layer 82 may fr'eelypass therebe'tv'veeni Conversely; on the portion of the cycle'whefi theratchet'lmechanism 112 is being restored andth'e feed rolls76j' 78," 88ai1'd'90 are not Totat'ing,zthe"upperdie 'member 84 engages thela'yer 82 -of material from! above and in cooperation withthe'lower di'emembe'r-86 shears and 'forms' a' completebreast pad 20 therefrom. I h M I When'thediemembers"84and 86 separate; the succeedihg feedcycletakesplace; and the movement of the usedlniaterial td-"th e right (Figs;- 6-"and 12 drags the finished pad to 'th e Thetrailing edge 124' f(Fig.' 12} of the" opening 126*1eft in the layer82 by the rerfioval of the finished pad 20 ispartiCuIaIly etfecti vefor dragging the finished 'pa'd 20 rightwardly. By properly adjusting the eccentric mechanism 116 and the length of connectingrod 114, the amount 'th e layer 82 advances fdr each pad 2U 'th'at -'is'- stamped} can be" adjusted 'for maximum economy.

The finished pads 20* are dragged-tothe 1 right and deposited in a 'conve'yortrough 128(Fig's. 7, l1 and 12) which slopes downwardly away from the punch-press 38? The trough 128 feedsa conventional-conveyor system froni 'which the pads 20'are packaged. In order tci iiis'ure"against the pads 20 jamming up inthe trough 128}*ajet"-oiair' isproj ectedinto the trough 128 from a noizle' l30i Of particular impertanee to fthis invention is the novel constrhction'offthe dil members' 84' and 86'. Figs.- 12,- 13;"14L' 15, l6 "and" -17 show" in detail a preferred construtionof the die memb'e'rslf Because the operational characteristics of the' punch'press ware-somewhat converltion'al; it' 'sufiic'es to state that the upper die member 84 rises and lowers periodically cooperating with the sta'tiohary'lowei' niembr' 86fafid inthe lower or engaged pbsitiomthedie members fornri and'sever the breast pads 26 'from the layer' '82. h V

Theilowen'di'e member'86 has "amale die portion 132 withfacrqnvex u er surfacellisl (Fig. 12) which when viewed fromabove'is round (Fig. 16) Below the convex" surfacej134, tHe'm'alepor'tiQn 132 is cylindrical and is 'formed'integral'with'an annula-r'portion or sleeve 136 that a tapered uppersurface 138 which extends above the edge of the convex surfac e 134 (Figs. 13, 14 and 15).

A stripper plate 140 is slidably positioned on the sleeve 136 and"is supported in an elevated position extending above the outer edge ofthe sleeve 136 on yieldable members 142 (shown as blocks of rubber) when the die'fmernbersi 84"and 86"are separated (Fig. 13). The yieldable'lnembe'rslfl" aresupportedfrom below on a stationarji diefraifi member 144." lll FigS. 13;"14iaiid 15 the stripperpiate' 1401s snewnrasrened to the name member; 1144 fywe'rtic i bolts 146"whi'ch permit nnea vertical movement only'oi the stripper plate 140. s g Thewonvex surf be 134' h f "the" male die artisan;

is' provided yvilhl'acefitrahupward projection 1481.1 The projection, 1483s used te tenn the nipple depression '29 of the'fabs'orhe'rit pads" 20L Extending outwardly from the projection"14 8" alcing the surface 134ar e' projecting @5150, positions for four beingfshown in' Fig. 16. l ne ribs"150"form1"the channels 30"011 the breast engaging ortion 28"of'the pads: 20, It 'is anticipate'd thatfmjore orfew'er projecting'ribs 150 could be provided without departing from the intended spiritof theinvention. V

The upper die memberpr' portion 84 which travels upfand down and: cooperates with the lower die portion 86"cor isists ofa bracket assembly 152(Fig's'. 12, 13,14 and l5)1with"vertica1' bores"1 5 4' (Fig; 14); The bores 154 slideupfanddown on yerticalfguide posts 1563; nected to 'th'e name member 1 44onj the member or 'pqr ti9nf86tor guiding'the movement thereof. Thebracket 152fhas1an attached downwardly extending annular me n-f ber 158with aver'tical bore 160. n A female die member 162 is positionedin'thebo're'160and has a vertical shaf t" extension 164 connected to the top thereofthatj slid'ably elite I s "through a bore" 166 in the"bracket" 152 Ciroums cribing j the shaft extension; 164' and extending be tweed the female die member '162and a recess 16:} in" the bracket 152is agcoinpression' spring 168 which at all times urges the female die member 162 downwardly ia?= th2=;= 6ie"-1s0." Vertical" bans 170 (Fig. 13 are aae'fidtsrnremne eiememeer 162 and extend through bores 172 and into bores 173 to limit the crewman travel ofthem mber 162; s The-refine diemember'162 is' -pr'ovided fwithwertial' biifesi 1'74" (position sfor rein being shown in Fig 17) that coniiniiniatachamber'178 formed above themen; ber 162 "an'd' the oneavepad engaging surface thereof? The bracket""152* is provided with a passage'176" (FigT 15) that enters the chamber 178 formed byfth'e" meal: bers 152, 158 and 162. The outer end ofthe' passage 176"is threaded to providemeans' for conne'ctirigfacompressed air conduit'1'80f thepurpose of which will be deseribed h'er'ein'a'ft'e'r'; H v

Viewed-frombelow the 'female die n1einber'162" is concave' to cooperate'with the male diemembe'r 132'. Atth'e center ofthe female member 162 is a' de'pr'es"? sion 182"whi'ch" engages the" projection 148 on'the male dieniemb'er 86'. When thedie members 84 and 86 are outof engagement (Fig.{1-3) the" lower outer "edge or; the"femal el member 162 "exte'nds-below thelo'wer end"ofi the-annular member 158 so'that as the members 84"aii'd 86 come together the female member 162 will be first to"engage' the'layer' sz from above. A'sthe member "84 continuesits downward movement, the female member 1'62"pre'sse's or squeezes the layer 82' onto the'male meiir'i-" ber 86'. By applying still'more downward pressureori the "upp'er'member'84', the'member 162 slides upwardly in= the'bore' 162' against'the pressure'of the spring 168. The spring" 168'retre'at's into the recess 163 until the member162isin contact with the bracket 152. when this occurs even greater downwardjpressure on the mem ber84ca'uSes the outer'portion'of the concave member 162 to"be" forced into very tight engagement with the layer 82' on the taperedup'p'er surface 138 of the sleeve" 136'," and on the ribs 150 This power crimping'is an important part of the forming operation because the high'pressure exerted'on certain portions of the pad as' described binds the materials in the pad together so that-the pad retains its shape. The concave and convex surfaces of the, die members themselves are prevented from coming into as close engagement because of the engagement ofthe female member 162 with the members=136; and 150 as described. Therefore, the larger pad' assume apillow-like shape in the fin;

areas: jog the ishe It is lariticipated that the tapered surface 138 iii sleeve 13 6 C Otfld be fllitd Or pIOVidd withsniall' 7 projections or deperssions that cooperate with a similar contour on the upper die member 162 to provide a stronger or more pleasing appearance to the pads 24 if desired and to reduce the surfaceto-surface contact of the flange 22 with the wearer and the wearers garment.

Simultaneous with the operation of the die members 84- and 86 just described is the movement of a lower edge 188 (Fig. of the bore 160 past the lower outer edge of the member 162 and past the upper outer edge 190 of the cooperating sleeve 136 on the male die member 86. The movement of the edge 188 past the edge 190 in this manner shears the already partially formed breast pad from the layer 82.

After suflicient pressure has been exerted on the layer 82, the die portions 84 and 86 separate. During separation the female member 162 continues to engage the pad 20 because of the downward force exerted by the spring 168 until stopped by the limiting screws 170. This action prevents the pad 20 from catching in the bore 60, and when the member 162 finally disengages from the pad 2%, a jet of air pressure is introduced from conduit 180 into the passage 176 and chamber 178. The air jet enters the bores 174, freeing the pad 20 from the upper die portion 84, so that it can be dragged to the conveyor trough 128 as the layer 82 feeds for the succeeding operation. The nozzle 130 then blows the deposited finished pads 20 down the trough 128.

It is thus apparent that there has been provided a novel breast pad and a novel machine for producing the pads, which fulfill all of the objects and advantages sought therefor.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings have been presented only by way of illustration and example, and changes and alterations in the present disclosure, which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. An absorbent pad comprising a cup-shaped member having an exposed convex outer surface and an exposed concave inner surface, a moisture proof impervious layer of material adjacent the outer surface there of, a layer of moisture absorbent material adjacent to and covering the inner surface, said absorbent layer having exposed channels formed along the inner surface thereof, and a flange of said absorbent and impervious materials projecting from the edge thereof substantially in the contour of the outer pad surface, said flange being formed by compressing the pad materials to bind them together.

2. An absorbent pad comprising a cup-shaped member having an exposed convex outer surface and an exposed concave inner surface, a moisture proof impervious layer of material adjacent the outer surface thereof, a layer of moisture absorbent material adjacent the inner surface, said absorbent layer having exposed channels in the inner surface thereof, a thin envelope of absorbent material encasing said layers of absorbent and impervious materials, and a flange of said absorbent and impervious materials projecting outwardly from the edge of said cup-shaped member substantially following the contour of the outer pad surface, said flange being formed by compressing the pad materials to bind them together.

3. The absorbent pad of claim 2 wherein the inner concave surface is provided with an outward projection at the center thereof.

4. The absorbent pad of claim 3 wherein the surface channels in the absorbent layer extend between the out- Ward projection and the projecting flange.

5. An absorbent pad comprising a cup-shaped member having an exposed inner and outer layer of absorbent material, a layer of moisture proof impervious material adjacent the outer layer thereof and a filler layer of absorbent material between the impervious layer and said inner layer, said outer layer adapted to be positioned in a brassiere, said inner layer being adapted to be positioned in contact with a human breast, surface channels in the inner layers for fluid flow communication over the absorbent filler layer, and a narrow outwardly extending marginal flange of said absorbent and impervious materials in the contour of the pad, said flange being formed by compressing the materials of the pad.

6. An absorbent pad of the character described comprising a cup-shaped mat of absorbent fibers, said mat having a cupshaped depression on the inner face thereof forming a projecting portion on an opposite outer face, channels in the inner face of the mat extending between the cup-shaped depression and the edge of the mat, and a layer of moisture proof impervious material adjacent the outer surface of the mat, the edge of said mat being compressed to form a flange for binding the materials of the pad together.

7. An absorbent pad of the character described including a cup-shaped mat of compressed absorbent fibers, said mat having a cup-shaped depression and channels formed on the inner face thereof, said channels being formed by compressing the pad materials between said cup-shaped depression and the edge of said mat, a layer of moisture impervious material on the outer face of the mat, and a wrapper of absorbent material about said mat and said impervious layer, a portion of said mat including the impervious material and wrapper being compressed to bind the pad materials together.

8. An absorbent pad comprising a central cupshaped body having a breast shaped contour including an inner layer of absorbent material to be placed in contact with a human breast and a relatively thinner impervious layer adjacent the exposed surface thereof, said body portion having channels extending between the outer edge thereof and the central inner portion, and an annular flange projecting outwardly from the central cup-shaped body and following the contour of the outer surface thereof, said flange being formed by compressing the pad materials together.

9. An absorbent pad comprising a body portion constructed of a plurality of layers of materials and having a contour shape defined by an outer convex surface and an inner concave surface, one of said plurality of layers being of moisture impervious material adjacent to the outer surface, and another of said plurality of layers being of absorbent material inwardly of said impervious layer, said layer of absorbent material characterized by having a soft, pillow-like structure capable of conforming to a shape brought into contact therewith, and a marginal flange on said body periphery binding said plurality of layers in position, said flange being formed of said layers of materials being compressed to an extent that said materials resist separation and maintain the shape of the body portion.

10. An absorbent pad comprising a thin layer of moisture impervious material, a thick body of absorbent material laid up against said thin layer, and a flange formed of the material in the thin layer and in the thick body, said flange being in the margins of said layer and body and being compressed to form a substantially rigid area surrounding a central soft and pliable area, said pad having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface, and said thin layer being adjacent said convex outer surface whereby moisture in said absorbent material is prevented from reaching said outer convex surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,054,491 Tynan Sept. 15', 1936 2,145,048 Hagen Jan. 24, 1939 2,258,209 De Jorio Oct. 7, 1941 2,630,119 Aagesen Mar. 3, 1953 

